Technical Field
The present subject matter relates to bandages, and more specifically, to bandages that have anisotropic stretch properties and include a dressing.
Background Art
It is well known that application of a bandage to cover a wound can accelerate the healing process. Many types of bandages are commonly used, including bandages with separate dressings and self-adhesive tape or non-adhesive elastic tape, and self-adhesive bandages with an integral dressing, such as Band-Aid® brand adhesive bandages from Johnson & Johnson, and a wide variety of other adhesive bandages in many different sizes using many different types of dressings to cover the wound. Dressings can be made of many different materials and can be absorbent or non-absorbent and in some cases are pre-treated with an antibiotic medicine.
Kinesiology tape, which is often a cloth-based self-adhesive tape, is a tape with anisotropic stretch properties, so that it is able to stretch much more in one direction, such as the length, than in the other direction, such as width. Traditionally, kinesiology tape is used to treat muscles and/or connective tissue that has been stressed in some way, but where there is no open wound. Kinesiology tape is applied to the individual in a stretched condition to provide a therapeutic benefit to the individual from the recoil effect of the elasticity of the tape. Kinesiology tape can be applied in many different configurations, depending on the tissue group being targeted and the intended effect, but in at least some situations, the tape is applied, in a stretched position, from the origin of the targeted muscle to the insertion point of the muscle. Once the tape has been applied, it is often rubbed to active a pressure-sensitive adhesive. While kinesiology tape is sometimes provided in pre-cut sections for specific taping patterns, it is often provided in a bulk form, such as a roll that allows for individual strips of tape to be cut to an appropriate length as needed.